Fastening device



G. D. PRESTON.

FASTENING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 6. 1918.

1,336, 156, Patented Apr. 6, 1920.

0 612/1 CE BAILEY PRESTON [N VEN T OH UNITED STATES PATENT onnron.

GRACE DAILEY PRESTON, 0F SPARTANBURG, SOUTH CAROLINA, ASSIGNOR OF TWO- FIFTHS TO ARTHUR G. SMITH, OF ELYRIA, OHIO.

FASTENING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 6, 1920.

Application filed April 6, 1918. Serial No. 227,002.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GRAon DAILEY Pans- TON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Spartanburg, in the county of Spartanburg and State of South Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fastening Devices; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in devices for fastening together the opposite edges of garments and the like. For example, my invention finds a particular use in connecting the opposite edges of ladies waists and the like, which, for the most part, have in the past been connected by buttons, hooks and eyes or snap fasteners, which are sewed to the edges of the garments. As is well known, these devices are open to many objections, the principal of which results from the rough handling received during laundrying, and which results in breaking the buttons and crushing or otherwise deforming the hooks or snap devices, so that they will no longer perform their functions. These injuries have increased in number and in magnitude as laundrying machinery has come into more general use, and are of such a nature as frequently to incapacitate the fastening devices for further use, and make it necessary to remove them and sew others on in their place.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide fastening means which can be conveniently and readily detachably connected to the edges of garments, and which will, at the same time, properly serve the functions of temporarily connecting the edges of the garments together, thus serving the functions of the buttons, hooks and eyes, snaps, etc., heretofore employed, and subject to the objections I have named.

I aim to provide means which can thus be removed from the garment when it is to be washed or cleaned, or otherwise subjected to any treatment which would endanger the fastening means, and which can be readily and conveniently placed upon the garment when it is to be used, without in any way injuring the material of such garment.

These and other objects of my invention and the invention itself may be readily understood from a description of an embodi- 'tudinal section a preferred form of one of the members constituting an embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 shows similar views of a second member of an embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the member shown in Fig. 1 in osition to be snapped upon the garment e ge.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 of the member shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 shows the member in Fig. 3 nected to the edge of the garment.

Fig. 6 shows the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 4 connected to the edge of a garment.

Fig. 7 shows the two members each connected to the edge of the garment fastened together and connecting the edges of the garment together.

Each of Figs. 5, 6 and 7 is a central longi tudinal section.

Referring to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawing, at A is shown one of the fastening members. This member is made of cheap material and may be formed in any suitable shape. I prefer to employ a rhombus-shaped blank, since when folded over, as shown in Fig. 3, the points 9 and 10 can be more readily inserted between the folds or plies of garment. The rhombus, of course, consists of two triangles having a common base 8, about which they can be folded, as shown in Fig. 3. The points 9 and 10 can then be easily inserted between the folds or plies of a garment edge, where the garment edge is so made. Fastening devices are provided upon the two wings 11 and 12 of the member A for detachably connecting the member A to the edge of a garment without piercing or otherwise injuring the material thereof.

At 141, near the apex of the wing 12 is shown a projecting snap device, which is adapted to cooperate with a depressed snap device oppositely located upon the other wing 11 of the member A. These members are best made elongated with their long axes coextensive with the long axis of the rhombus, thus better preventing twisting or rotating of the device after it has been snapped upon the garment. Slips 15 may be formed in the sheet material radiating from the edge of the snap member 13, thus more readily yielding when the members 13 and 14 are snapped together and permitting the member 13 to more firmly grip the member 14 to more securely hold the wings together. The members 13 and 14 are more cheaply formed by punching them out of the material of the wings and more securely held together when the part 14 is formed with barbs 14 which can be easily effected by punching the material outwardly from the interior at the top and thereby forming a figure expanding from the base of the sheet to its top.

The member 13 is complementarily formed, having its top part expanded, as shown at 13,to grip the inner edges of the barbs 14', as shown in Fig. 5, when the parts are snapped together. The member A is provided with a fastening device 20, similar, in many respects, to the device 14, except that in the embodiment shown it is made triangular in' shape. This member is adapted to cooperate with a complementary, depressed, fastening device 21 upon the member B, shown in Fig. 2. The member 21 is formed very much like the member 13,

except that it is triangular in shape. The member B is preferably also formed of sheet metal and shaped like a rhombus, with the wings 23 and 24 each triangular in shape and adapted to be folded about the common base line 22. Each triangle is likewise formed with points 25 and 26 which may be inserted between the plies of a garment edge. The wing 24 of the member B is shown provided with a plurality of slits, illustrated at 29, extending from adjacent the end 26 to near the base 22, and thereby dividing the wing 24 into a plurality of tongues 30, 31 and 32, which may be slipped between adjacent folds or plies of a garment edge. For example, the tongue 31 may he slipped between two plies and the tongues 30 and 32 between one of said plies. and still a third ply, all constituting the edge of a garment, when a garment is constructed of a number of plies, thereby more securely fastening the member to a garment edge and concealing the same. r

It will be obvious that these slits may be provided or omitted in any of the wings of either of the members, as desirerhor that anv suitable number may be employed.

The two wings of the member B are provided with complementary snap devices 33 and 34, which are preferably similar in construction to the devices 13 and 14 of the member A. The material about the edges of the members 21 and 33 may be slitted, as shown at 40, for the same reasons that the ed es of the member 13 are slitted.

In the embodiment shown, the wing 24 is provided with an opening 41 for a purpose to be described.

In Fig. 5 the member A is shown connected to a garment edge, consisting of one sheet of material. The edge of the garment is slipped between the wings 11 and 12 and the parts snapped together. The member 14 springing apart the walls of the orifice of the member 13 forces the material of the garment edge C through such orifice, whereupon the edges 13 of the member 13 grip the member 14 under the barbs 14 and securely, though 'detachably, connect the member A to the garment edge, without piercing or breaking the threads of the garment edge, or otherwise injuring such material.

It will readily be seen that the member A. may be quickly and conveniently removed from the garment edge when it isv desired, by prying apart the wings and causing the complementary snap devices 13 and 14 to release. When thus removed, there will be no permanent trace of the connection of the fastening member to the garment and the same can be sent to the cleaner or laundry.

In Fig. 6 I have shown the member B connected to another garment edge D, which we will assume is the edge oppositethe edge 0, and which edges are to be connected together to fasten up a ladys waist, or other garment. The edge of D is inserted between the wings 23 and 24 of the member B and the same are snapped together and fasten the member B-to the edge of the garment in the same manner as described in connection with the connection of the member A to the edge C, except that in connecting B the member 21 passes through the opening 41 in the wing 24.

In Fig. 7 the members are shown fastened together through the complementary snap devices 20 and. 21. The member 20 is placed over 21 and pressure is applied, whereupon the member 20, carrying a portion of the material of the edge D through the orifice 42 of the member 41, snaps into place, just as is described in connection with the snapping together of the members 13 and 14. The garment is then securely closed, but can be readily opened by prying the members A and B apart with the finger nails, or some suitable instrument.

In this operation the material will not be pierced or otherwise injured. By making the devices of sheet metal, they may be easily concealed among the folds or plies of the garment edge, and can be mounted parallel to the edge of the material of which the garment is made, so that they are not even so conspicuous and not so bulky as the snap devices which are at present employed, and can be as readily concealed as the hooks and eyes now used. By making the devices of sheet metal, they can be easily and conveniently punched out, and the operations forming the fastening devices easily formed by a limited number of operations. The attach- 5ing and detaching of the devices is very simple, and can be performed by any one who has any knowledge at all of such devices. It will also be apparent that one set may be employed in connection with a num- C ber of garments.

It will also be obvious that fasteners involving my invention may be used upon the edges of tent parts, tarpaulins, automobile curtains, military equipment, etc, to fasten the edges together.

I have shown this particular form and these details for the purpose of describing my invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous and extensive departures may be made therefrom without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, the combination of a pair of sheet metal members, each shaped like a rhombus and folded about the short diagonal axis of the rhombus, thus forming two triangular wings for each member, each member being provided with complementary snap fastening devices oppositely located near the apices of the wings, each fastening member being oblong in shape and having its longitudinal axis substantially co-extensive with the long diagonal axis of the rhombus, said members adapted to be snapped together gripping between them a portion of a garment edge when the wings are fastened together one on each side of the edge of the garment, and without piercing or otherwise injuring the material thereof, one of said members being provided with a projecting flat-nosed barbed device and the other member being provided with a complementary snap member which expands from bottom to top, said members when connected to garment edges adapted to be snapped together, the complementary projecting devices snapping into the depressed device upon the other member and thereby securely fastening together the opposite edges of the garment without piercing or otherwise injuring the same.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a first member provided with a pair of wings adapted to be folded together with one on either side of a garment edge, complementary fastening devices, one carried by each wing, adapted to removably connect said member to said garment edge without piercing said garment, a second member also provided with a pair of wings adapted to be folded together with one wing on each side of another garment edge, complementary fastening devices, one on each wing, adapted to removably connect said member to said garment edge without piercing the material of the garment when the wings are folded together and complementary fastening devices, one carried by each of said members, and adapted to be fastened together to unite said members and the two dges of a garment.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of a pair of sheet metal members, each provided with snap fasteners through which said members are adapted to be detachably connected to opposite edges of a garment without piercing or otherwise injuring the material of the garment and complementary fastening devices, one carried by each member, by which themembers may be detaehably snapped together to connect said members and garment edges together.

l. In a device of the class described, the combination of a pair of fastening members, each provided with means for removably connecting it to a garment edge without piercing or otherwise injuring the material of the garment and complementary fastening devices carried by said members for detachably connecting said members and garment edges together.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination of a pair of sheet metal mem bers, each composed of two triangular wings joined together at their base lines and adapted to be folded about the common base line until the adjacent surfaces engage, one triangle of each member being provided with a depressed snap device and the other with a complementary projecting snap device, said snap devices snapping said members to opposite edges of a garment without piercing or injuring the same and detachably connecting said members to such garment edges, a second recessed snap device being formed on one of said members and a complementary projecting snap device on the other of said members by which the two members are detachably snapped together and the garment edges temporarily connected.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination of a pair of fastening members, each made of sheet material and provided with a pair of wings adapted to embrace the edge of a garment, means to detachably connect said members to the opposite edges of a garment, and complementary snap devices, one on each member, by which said members may be snapped together and temporarily connect the garn'lent edges together.

7. In a device of the class described, the combination of a pair of flat fastening members, means to detachably connect said members to opposite garment edges without injuring the material thereof, and devices for detachably connecting said members to gethen' and thereby uniting the opposite edges of the garment.

8. In fasteners for flexible material, a sheet metal body having integrally joined ends adapted to be folded together to receive the material therebetween, a stud mem ber formed on one of said ends and a socket member on the other end adapted to receive and detachably grip said stud member with the material therearound when the ends are pressed together.

9. In fasteners for flexible material, a sheet metal body having integrally joined ends adapted to be folded together to receive the material therebetween, a stud member formed on one of the said ends and a socket member on the other end adapted to receive said stud member with said material therearound When the ends are pressed together, one of said members having means to permit the detachment and 'reattachment there,

ends.

10. A metal clasp consisting of overlapping Wings, one Wing having prongs adapted to pass beneath the hem of an edge of said material, means on the clasp to attach and detach it to said hem with the free ends of the wings toward the said edge, a second metal clasp having overlapping wings adapted to encompass another edge of the flexible material to be secured to the first mentioned edge, means on said second mentioned clasp for attaching and detaching it to the second mentioned edge and snap fasteners on the contacting faces of said clasps to attach and detach them.

In Wit/HESS. whereof I have hereunto signed my name this 28th day of March, 1918.

GRACE DAILEY PRESTON. 

